More Reminiscing with J-Rich and Matt Barnes

As usual, nowhere near enough room in the paper to do a story justice, especially when the subjects are Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes, the eminently chattable ex-Warriors who are now teammates in Phoenix.

J-Rich is renting a place in Paradise Valley — says he learned his lesson after buying in Oakland and Charlotte — while his fiancee remains in North Carolina with their sons Jason Jr. and Jaxon for school purposes.

Matt and his fiancee had twin boys, Isaiah and Carter, who will turn three months old on Friday.

Here’s more of what each had to say:

J-Rich on reuniting with Barnes: “When I found out the news about coming here, (Matt) was the first one to text me: Welcome to the team, glad seeing each other again. We have our stories about how good that team was and how much fun we had for being together for such a short period of time.

On following the Warriors: “I definitely kept in touch with them last year. Last year, I was just cheering for them. All of them guys were like brothers, everybody. They’re struggling, but you still have Steve there, Monta there, Andris, and the fans are great.

On playing for the Suns: “It’s like a dream come true, playing with guys like that, Hall-of-Fame caliber like Shaq and Steve, even Grant. It’s an honor, really.”

Barnes on the “We Believe” days: “That year we made the run, that was history. We talk about it every once in a while. We really had a family there. Everyone says your team is your family, but at Golden State, that was really the truth. We all love it each other, and it was hard because they broke it up so fast. But we also talk about how great the fans are there, how loyal they are. I see the games on TV and it still looks full.”

On recovering from his the death of his mother, Ann: “It just really took a toll on me, my body, from the fact that she was my best friend. She was everything, and it happened so fast. She was diagnosed on Nov. 1 and died on the 27th. Everyone kind of turned to me since I was the oldest, and I didn’t have anyone to really talk to.

I just tried to keep that in, play though it all. I had some good games here and there, but it was tough to focus on basketball, and it was my job. That’s kind of where Nellie and I fell out, because I wasn’t really performing on the court, and by the time I started to feel better, I was kind of buried under the bench.”

On his kinship with Leandro Barbosa, who lost his mother to pneumonia earlier this season: “His situation was really tough with his mom being in Brazil. My situation was bad, but I was still only an hour and a half away from my mom. If he ever needed to talk, I was there for him. We definitely developed a real bond and friendship through that. He’s handled it great, a lot better than I could have or did.”

On his twin boys: “Having the babies now absolutely changed my life. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me, even though you don’t get any sleep. Even when basketball is going bad, you just go home and giggle and see them smile.”